Spring heel for shoe and the like

ABSTRACT

A shoe including a hollow chamber in its heel vented so to contract at each step and a curved steel leaf springs inside the chamber bearing between an upper inside and a bottom sole of the shoe heel, the springs extending forwardly-rearwardly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to footgear such as shoes of variouskinds. More specifically it relates to a heel construction for beingincorporated in the building of a shoe, and is an improvement over theexisting art in this field.

It is well known that comfort in footwear is a prime concern to mostpersons and is of special importance to persons who must wear them forlong hours or while under strenuous physical activity such as mailcarriers, restaurant waiters or athletes such as runners or walkers.Such persons are well aware that their purchase of shoes must be donewith careful selection in order to obtain a best for them. However, acareful study of heel design in shoes presently available, shows butlittle differences there between in construction, and it is notsurprising that many of these people still keep hunting for a moreideally comfortable shoe than they now wear. It is believed that thereis a need for a substantial change in shoe heel design so that there isa marked improvement in shoe comfort.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly it is a principal object of the present invention, toprovide a shoe heel of new design that incorporates springs giving a"live" or active cushioning action throughout each step movement by aperson so as to minimize the impact on the heel during running orwalking, such as occurs with standard foam or soft rubber soles extendedunder the heel.

Another object is to provide a spring heel which could be incorporatedinto work shoes, dress shoes or sports shoes of various sizes andwherein a mechanical spring tension may be varied to accommodate personsof different weights.

Other objects are to provide a spring heel for shoes or the like, andwhich is simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture and long wearingin use.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the descriptionproceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this inventionmay be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings,attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings areillustrative only and that changes may be made in the specificconstruction illustrated and described within the scope of the appendedclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

The figures in the drawings are briefly described as follows:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a shoe with parts broken away and with theinvention incorporated therein.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on line 2--2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line 3--3 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the wheel assemblywith parts broken away.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the Drawing in greater detail, the reference numeral 10represents a spring heel for shoes 12 and the like wherein a hollowchamber 14 is formed between a rear position of a bottom sole 16 andinsole 18 that extends to a forward end of the shoe. A canvas or otherresilient material forms a vertical wall 20 around a rear and oppositesides of the chamber while a block 22 of soft foam material is locatedat a front end of the chamber and between the inside and bottom sole. Ifthe shoe is an athletic or sports shoe, as shown in the drawing, a block24 of more dense cushioning material is located forwardly of the foamblock 22.

In the present invention, a block 26 preferably molded of a hard plasticor equivalent material is placed inside the chamber and rigidly affixedupon the bottom side; the block being molded with two sets offorwardly-rearwardly extending grooves 28 that serve as tracks insidewhich wheels 30 of a pair of cushioning mechanisms 32 can travel.

Each mechanism 32 comprises an elongated steel leaf spring 34 which atopposite ends is rolled around a shaft 36 having projecting oppositeends fitted either with ball bearings 38 and/or directly with the wheels30. The leaf spring is normally upwardly curved so as to bear against anunderside of the insole that may possibly be padded at this area by apad 40 for this purpose, as shown in FIG. 3. Impact attenuators 42 and44 may or may not be included in the construction, as shown by thephantom lines in FIG. 1. The upper attenuator 42 would serve forfastening the spring thereto and support from the inside.

In operative use, the spring heel cushions and/or minimizes impact on aperson's heels while walking or running. Fresh air circulates throughwalls 20 which are made of a porous material into the chamber as aperson takes each step; the side walls serving as air bellows for themoving air, and allowing the chamber to contact and expand with everystep. The curved springs, bearing between the inside and bottom sole,thus are alternately flattened out and the wheels travel in the tracks.

While certain novel features of this invention have been shown anddescribed and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will beunderstood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in theforms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can bemade by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A shoe incorporating a spring heel, comprising,in combination, a hollow chamber inside a heel of said shoe, a pluralityof flexing leaf springs that bear between the inside bottom surface ofthe hollow chamber and a bottom surface of a sole of said shoe and isfree to slidably move with respect to both said surfaces, the side wallsof said chamber including flexible vent means for outside air tocirculate into said chamber when said chamber alternately collapses andexpands at each step by a person and weight application upon said heel,said leaf springs being upwardly curved and extendingforwardly-rearwardly in said heel, and comprising wheel means at itsdistal end which roll in a track means contained within said chamber. 2.A shoe as in claim 1, and comprising a molded block fixed inside saidhollow chamber, said block comprising two sets of forwardly-rearwardlyextending grooves providing said tracks along which said wheels roll. 3.A shoe as in claim 2, wherein said leaf springs comprise rolled distaledges, a shaft passing within said rolled distal edges, and wherein saidwheels are supported at the ends of said shaft.